Our View: Death With Dignity law is fatally flawed

Sunday

Oct 7, 2012 at 12:01 AM

Question 2 on the Massachusetts ballot, if it were to pass on Nov. 6, would allow a physician licensed in Massachusetts to prescribe medication, at the request of a terminally ill patient meeting certain conditions, to end that person's life.

Question 2 on the Massachusetts ballot, if it were to pass on Nov. 6, would allow a physician licensed in Massachusetts to prescribe medication, at the request of a terminally ill patient meeting certain conditions, to end that person's life.

The Standard-Times supports an individual's right to make decisions about his or her quality of life, including the ultimate decision on when to end that life, but we believe the law as proposed is insufficient to properly protect terminally ill patients.

It is not clear that safeguards intended to protect patients from unscrupulous or selfish family members are sufficient.

And we are concerned about the lack of requirement for consultation with psychiatrists, who are experts in treating depression, the leading cause of suicide, and with palliative care specialists who are experts in end-of-life treatments that can reduce pain.

Suicide is, of all decisions, one that offers no remedy when information leading to a different course of action is made available after the fact.

If Question 2 passes, it will be without the protections that we see as being necessary. The Legislature will be responsible for fixing the law, and that concerns us as well, because there's no requirement lawmakers make any change at all.

Perhaps a ballot question is inappropriate for legislation on such a momentous decision.

We would urge a vote against Question 2, and we would likewise urge the Legislature to explore it within its jurisdiction, which would allow a more deliberate, considered law.